My Scarab Jewel
by Lady-Kinsei
Summary: HORAAAHH! FINALLY GOT AROUND TO IT! So, for all you Pyrolovers, here's more of my story which I have FINALLY gotten around to updating. It's time for Pyro to meet Sherry's family! But will this day turn sour? gasp! Just read it.
1. Siren Song

KK, all! YAY I'm writing fanfics again! Ok, I just watched X2 for the tenth time, and now I must write! == Alright, this is a fic about our favorite little flame-head! Yup, it's Pyro time! Tee-hee. It's a bit AU-ish, but that's ok. It's Pyro/New Character. This is my first fanfic on a movie( I usually stick to the FF series! ), so be gentle! No flamers plz! (And, yes, I do realize the irony of asking for no flamers when writing a Pyro story... --;;;) And on with my fic!  
  
**My Scarab Jewel  
** by LadyKinsei  
  
Chapter One: Siren's Song  
  
"Pyro! Dammit, get back here!"  
  
He ran and ran, flaming embers littered around the grounds. 'Why can't you control your temper?' 'Quit it, show off!' 'Now, John, you know you can't keep showing off anymore.' All the voices in his head chimed in his ears as if Orora were blowing a gale. 'Fuck!' he thought. 'I hate this fucking place!' They hate me, was all he thought.  
  
Ever since he came to the Xavier Institute, he felt he didn't belong. He was so different from all the others. He only had two whom he considered friends in the thousands of students in the Xavier Institute--Bobby and Marie, aka Iceman and Rogue.  
  
Iceman was so possesive of her, he thought. So intrigued, like a cat watching a goldfish. Yes, Rogue was very much like a fish to him--or more an electric eel, thought he. An eel so slippery and elusive and dangerous, yet so beautiful that one has no other choice than to become entranced with it. Too much of a touch and he'll be sucked of all life, all memories and powers, and yet that's what Bobby most loved about her. Her unavailability, her sense of...  
  
He shook his head, he was getting way to ahead of himself. He looked back some. How far was he from the institute, he wondered. He had never much been outside of it with it's security cameras and high walls. 'Not to keep humans out,' he thought. 'To keep us in.'  
  
That was another thing he hated about the institute. Why hide myself when I am someone to be known, he thought. I am the powerful, I bend fire to my will; I can do anything and those stupid, ignorant, powerless humans should know that. Who better to show the power that mutants have than me? That was another thing he hated. The fact that he was no better treated or respected than any other child in the school, like the little girl, Marissa, who screams and the whole school shakes. Or the boy, Andre, who's tongue is like a lizard.  
  
"Fuck," he cursed under his breath, flipping out his dinosaur lighter. Humans, he thought. They think they're so fucking smart because they don't have powers. "Ooh, I have a gun! Get away from me you freak!" he mumbled mockingly. As his anger grew, the faster his pace grew, fast into the bustling streets of downtown. Sidewalks were crowded, cars speeding by, children crying because the lady at the counter gave them the wrong flavor of ice cream. The words of Proffessor X rang in his head.   
  
"'Control your temper, John,'" he mumbled. "'Quit showing off, John.' 'Stop making such a big fuss about everything--you know I only want to help you...'" He shook his head angrily. "Yeah, piss off, cueball..." He was walking quite briskly, as was normal for him in the heat of anger. He was a very emotional person, something that he didn't admit to--which made him even more emotional. Even his friends thought so. "'John, man, don't start up trouble again.' K'eh, trouble... It was their fault in the first place," he said, thinking about those jack-offs in the food court at the museum the other day. And now he'd set most of the training grounds on fire; they'd kick him out for sure this time--  
  
"OOF!!!"  
  
"Hey--watch where you're going!!!" he screeched.  
  
"Well, sorry, but you were the one running--ugh, my paints..."  
  
He looked up at a female voice, seeing that the one who he run into was indeed a girl. Her long dark hair was tucked beneath a rasta-like beanie. Her clothes were very bohemian with her white peasant blouse and jeans made of various patchwork denim. Her long fingers fumbled around for various tubes of acrylic paints and brushes. She looked up, her big brown eyes in a slight glare. "You know, you should really watch where you're going," she snapped.  
  
He shook his head and quickly got up, brushing himself off with his familiar frown. He reached into his pocket. "Hey--my lighter!"  
  
"Lookin' for this?" she asked, holding his lighter in her hand.  
  
"Hey, gimme that," he snapped.  
  
Her mouth dropped open slightly. "You arrogant jerk, not even a please? Geezus, chivalry really is dead--now hand me that brush over there. It's the least you could do after knocking me down--"  
  
"Me?!" he practically screamed, causing a few more onlookers than he would have liked. "You were the one who knocked me down--"  
  
"And I apologized--geez you should learn to control your temper..."  
  
"Well, gimme my lighter--"  
  
"No brush, no lighter."  
  
"What? Get it yourself." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, then, I have a new thing to light my incense with." She cooly got up and walked away, leaving the brush behind.  
  
"Alright, alright!" he said, running to grab the brush. She took it and tossed the lighter to him.   
  
"Was that so hard?" she asked childishly. "You really shouldn't smoke, you know."  
  
"I don't smoke," he said, absent-mindedly flipping the lighter on and off.  
  
She smirked with full lips. "Just a pyro, eh?"  
  
He scoffed at those words. "You have no idea..."  
  
Her long hair ruffled slightly in the breez. "Got a name?" she asked.  
  
Pyro looked up beneath his brows. What was her deal? "Pyr--uh, John--John Allerdyce."  
  
She held out her hand, the gold bangles on her wrist tinkling together slightly. "Sherry Dannuk, nice to meetcha."  
  
He shook her hand. "What kind of name is Dannuk?"  
  
Sherry shrugged. "What kind of name is Allerdyce?" He laughed slightly. Here she was, knocking him left and right and he didn't even care. Well, at least she wasn't trying to be insulting. He then noticed the her leather messenger bag, covered with buttons and patches that read things like "It's obvious my inner child is in charge of things here," or "Not the brightest crayon in the box, are we?" A keychain that read "If Barbie is so popular, then why do you have to buy her friends?" hung next to a shrunken head with dreadlocks.  
  
"Uh... What's with the..."  
  
She looked to where he was pointing. "Oh, that--hahahahaha... Yeah, my parents were travelling Egyptians, they used to travel all the time--this little beauty she picked up from a Jamaican Voodoo man, in Morocco."  
  
"A Jamaican Voodoo man in Morocco?" he asked. "That sounds like the start of a bad joke..." They both laughed.  
  
"Well," Sherry began. "I guess a shrunken head is better than having an oversized head," Pyro found himself laughing in spite of himself. "I hate that, that big head thing... There's this one girl at my school that I sit behind with a big head... She looks like a St. Bernard." Now they were both laughing, a semi-rare occasion for Pyro's sense of badass humor.  
  
"What is your obsession with heads?" he asked; you moron, you're acting like Bobby, he mocked himself mentally.  
  
The girl shrugged. "I guess I was just noticing how nice yours was."  
  
He stopped entirely and smirked in a bit of disbelief. "... You like my head?"  
  
She smiled, her teeth like pearls. "Its a good head!" They laughed together. In his mind, though, he was thinking 'Man, who are you right now?' Oh, well, he said to himself. She seems pretty cool for a human, I guess... He almost jumped when she took his hand.  
  
"Hey--what are you doing?"  
  
She wrote a phone number on his hand, as well as the words "Call me!" in small print. "You gimme a ring some time," she said. "I'd like to paint your picture..." She wrote down her address on his wrist. She flashed a smile; he noticed a few freckles on her high cheek bones. She walked away.  
  
"Hey--wait a minute!" said John, running to catch her. She turned and stopped. "First, you knock me down, then you get mad at me, then you call me an arrogant jerk, then you compliment my head, and now you're giving me your phone number and address?"  
  
She looked up slightly, as if thinking about it. It didn't take long before she nodded, smiled and said. "Yeah, I am. Later, Pyro," she said jokingly, walking down the busy sidewalk.  
  
He stared after her, looked away, and then looked back to see she had just turned the corner. He looked down at his palm before looking back again, a puzzled look on his face. "What the hell just happened?"  
  
There he was, standing in the middle of the sidewalk corner, scratching his head and staring at his hand. I think this is the first time I've gone from pissed to downright confused within three minutes... She was definately the strangest girl he had ever set eyes on, so incredibly random it was hysterical. He couldn't even begin to imagine how this day could be anymore random in its events. He jumped at the hand on his shoulder.   
  
There Logan was, standing right over him. "Nice barbeque job, kid, now get in the car."  
  
"John, we understand that you want to be known, but setting the campus ablaze is no way to get attention," said the Professor. "You have something special, all mutants do, but you tend to want to show off your powers. You're not better than the others, you know..."  
  
He kept his head low. "Yes, sir," he mumbled.  
  
Professor sighed. "You are here to learn control of your powers; it seems that you are also here to learn to control your temper." He rolled in his wheelchair towards him. "Listen, what happened in the training grounds today was an accident, and I assume you know how to learn from your mistakes, is that correct?"  
  
"...Yes, sir."  
  
"Good; as punishment, I assign you to groundskeeping for a week, and detention for the remainder of the month. Is that clear?"  
  
He clenched his fists behind his back. "... Yes, sir." Professor nodded. "Good, then. Alright, run along." Pyro nodded again, and turned to exit Professor's office. The second the doors closed behind him, he slammed his fist into his palm angrily. Groundskeeping? he thought. What kind of sick torture was that? Not only was he going to get all sorts of grief from the others, but he was going to have to be dealing with dirt and flowers all day.   
  
Pyro looked up to see Bobby and Rogue walking together. Rogue was the first to notice. "Hey--John!" she said, rushing up to him. "We saw what happened--"  
  
"Dude, the whole south lawn is totalled," said Bobby. "What's your detention time?"  
  
"For the rest of the month," he replied dryly as he proceeded down the hallway, Rogue and Bobby on either side of him. "And I get to do groundskeeping--however the hell you do that."  
  
Rogue laughed. "It's not so bad, you could have gotten a lot worse." Pyro shrugged. "I'm serious--you know, you can't have a bad temper all the time... It doesn't do any good. Least not here..."  
  
"Yeah, well, it's their own fault..." He trailed off. There was a long silence.  
  
Bobby then looked at his left hand, seeing there was something written on it. "Hey, what's that?" Pyro looked down and pulled his sleeve over his wrist. "Nothing," he said, speeding up his pace.  
  
Rogue caught his wrist and rolled the fabric of his sleeve up. "Is that a phone number?" she asked.  
  
"And an address...?" Bobby trailed off, slightly confused, slightly impressed. "When did this happen?"  
  
He ripped his arm away and rushed off upstairs, his cheeks flaming red. Dammit, he thought. I knew that girl was gonna get me in a spot... Pyro burst into the dorm that he and Iceman shared, flopping on the bed as the couple burst in. Rogue flopped on his bed and read the adress and number again.  
  
"So who is she???" she asked excitedly.  
  
Pyro gave a half-groan, half-sigh, but then smirked and figured--hey, what's the harm? He propped himself up on the pillows and looked at the writing on his wrist, Bobby coming around on the right side of his bed, Rogue tracing the numbers with her gloved hand. "Okay," he sighed. "Her name is Sherry Dannuk, she's about three inches shorter than me, very long, very straight dark hair, brown eyes, high cheekbones, and has an obsession with heads..."  
  
Rogue squealed in delight and hugged Pyro close. "That's so great!!!" she said, letting go. "What happened? When you were running around in town today? How did you meet?"  
  
"Rogue--easy!" Bobby said. "Let him answer one first..."  
  
He laughed, unbelieving that he was sharing a 'normal teen moment' with his two best friends. "Okay, okay... Alright, so I'm walking down 6th, and I guess I'm walking kinda fast, and all of a sudden--BOOM--we crash right into each other. I yell at her for not watching where she's going, she calls me an arrogant jerk and bribes me with my own lighter--she said I had a nice head and gave me her phone number because she wants to paint my picture."  
  
"Ooh, artistic type, eh?" Bobby asked as Rogue sprawled out over Pyro's crossed ankles. "She's pretty?"  
  
He suddenly laughed hysterically, causing a few eyebrow raises on the parts of the couple. "Man--it all happened so fast, I couldn't even tell... I'm pretty sure she was, she just kinda gave me the number and took off. Only thing I really remember is that she smelled like that Patchouli oil that Storm uses on her hands. Smells just like it..."  
  
"Just like that, huh? Sheesh..." She ran a hand through the brown and white tresses atop her head. "She seems to have a lot of nerve, huh?"  
  
"She tried to steal my lighter--that takes no nerve, but stupidity."  
  
"But she gave it back," Bobby pointed out. "Right?"   
  
"Tch--yeah, after I picked up her stupid paintbrush for her..."  
  
"Well, you did knock her down," Rogue said.  
  
"I did not!!!" He growled and flopped back on his pillows. He sighed, "Okay, so maybe I did..."  
  
"So, you gonna call her?"  
  
He raised an eyebrow at her; what kind of a question was that? Honestly, he didn't even know her. What reason would he have to call her? She'd just find out he was a mutant, freak out, call the police and he'd have even more things crawling around his ass to deal with. "... I dunno."  
  
"Dude," Bobby began. "If this girl is nuts enough to talk to you in the first place, she deserves to get a call." Pyro laughed and punched him jokingly. He shrugged. "Maybe, I will... I have no idea, honestly, she's just... I don't know--she has this weird thing and... I guess its that her... Ugh, this is fucking frustrating..."  
  
Rogue beamed. "Speechless over a pretty girl?" Pyro shot her an 'I hate you' look. "Hahaha, it's okay, just give her a call, okay? Or at least think about it--PROMISE you'll think about it. You promise?"  
  
He looked, Bobby and Rogue staring at him intently. He wasn't going to win--that was the cold fact of it. He'd never get them out of his hair if he didn't call this Sherry girl. If he lied, they'd know and beg and poke and prod him until he did. There was no way out; besides, he had to admit, she was kind of charming--in a rude, irritating kind of way...  
  
Pyro sighed. "Alright, I promise I will call Sherry later tonight."  
  
"Yay!" Rogue squealed, clapping her hands together. "This is gonna be so good for you. Seriously, maybe she can cool off that hot head of yours..."  
  
"Har-har-har, very funny." Rogue ran off, leaving the two in the dorm.  
  
"So you really gonna call her?" he asked.  
  
"What other choice do I have?"  
  
Bobby motioned to the phone. "Why don't you call her right now?"  
  
He sighed--there was no good reason not to call her, after all, it was after six. He then shook his head. "Nah, she's probably eating right now."  
  
"So, just leave a message--c'mon, John, what are you so afraid of?" Okay, this was more like it. Bobby and him just talking, without the strings of Rogue attatched to his hip. It was good to have his friend back, but he knew that it wouldn't last for long. He really liked Rogue, that was no doubt, but he often got tired of Bobby constantly putting her in front of their friendship. But, then again, he thought. Maybe it's not so bad having someone like that. Maybe the idea of him having a girlfriend wasn't so incredibly rediculous. But trusting her? That was a whole new issue. Yes, trusting a human in general was a very dangerous thing. Then again, she didn't have to find out about it either. It was easy enough to hide--as long as she doesn't piss me off too much...  
  
Frustrated with his inner thoughts, he groaned and leaned over to pick up the phone. "Alright," said Bobby, rubbing his hands together. John looked to his palm and dialed the number. "If she doesn't pick up within three rings, I'm hanging up," he warned as the phone rang.  
  
All of a sudden, a female voice picked up. "Hi." It was Sherry. He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Do you always answer the phone like that?" he asked.  
  
"Like what?" came her voice over the reciever. Bobby gave him a thumbs up and walked out of the dorm to give him some privacy.  
  
"Like you know that it's me," he said.  
  
"But it is you," said Sherry, in that voice of je-ne-sais-qui. He could almost hear her smiling. "So, decided to call me, huh? How many of your friends did it take to convince you?"  
  
"Hey! How do you--" he heard her laughing. Calm down, don't let her make a fool out of you, he thought. "Ugh, so what's up?" he asked, not knowing what else to say.  
  
"Well, nothing much I guess. Just working on my latest terracotta sculpture. I love art, it's kinda what keeps me going? It's like... I don't know, it just fuels the fire within, you know?" John laughed--okay, he thought, I admit it, she was very charming. What are the odds that she keeps on mentioning fire? "You have such a great laugh," she commented.  
  
"Uh... Thanks, I guess..."  
  
"So," she said. "When are you coming over to my house so I can paint you? Hey--how bout tomorrow? It's Friday. Where do you go to school? I'll meet you there and we can, like, take the bus to my house and stuff."  
  
Oh, shit, he thought. Not this week--I have detention... "Well, I'm kinda busy, here..."  
  
"Xavier Institute???"  
  
"What?" he asked, a bit panicky. "How'd you know that?" Jesus Christ, don't tell me she's able to read minds, too...  
  
"...It's on caller ID... Hey, isn't that the prep school?"  
  
Prep School? That was a laugh. John Allerdyce in a prep school had to be the richest thing he'd ever heard. "Uh, yeah, I go there--I'm calling from my dorm."  
  
"Cool!" Sherry said. "I go to Lincoln High--it's an Arts Magnet school, perfect for me, huh?"  
  
"Haha, yeah, I guess..." Hearing her voice made him feel like he was a normal teenager--nothing constricting him from the outside world. He loved his power, but thought it as a curse at the same time. No, he thought, humans are the curse...  
  
"Why don't I come and visit you some time at your school?"  
  
He shrugged. "Sure, why not? You know where it is?"  
  
Sherry laughed. "It's pretty hard to miss, dontcha think? When's a good time?"  
  
"How bout tomorrow?" Hey! said his inner voice. You know you have detention tomorrow... So she'll come when I'm done, he argued back.  
  
"Around 4 maybe... S'ok with you?" He could almost hear her smiling again. "What?" he asked after a long silence.  
  
"Nothing, it's just that... Well, you're a whole lot nicer over the phone is all..." She giggled slightly. You dumbass, you shouldn't bring her to the school--she might see something. He sighed.  
  
"Hey, listen... Let's not hang out at the X Institute, okay? Like... I dunno, we can go get coffee somewhere instead, okay?"  
  
"What, you can't bring non-preps there?" He shrugged. "Kinda-sorta... It's complicated."  
  
"Hee-hee, okay, sure. Still tomorrow at 4? Or would later be easier for you?" How does she keep doing that? "I guess that a curfew is kinda the rule there, huh?"  
  
"How'd you know I was planning on sneaking out?"  
  
"I dunno, you just seem the type of person to sneak out. You're like an army training course--a real challenge. I think maybe that's why I find you so incredibly fascinating..." Why is she talking to me like this???  
  
"Uh... Alright."  
  
"Great. How bout that coffee house at the corner of 6th and Park, it's called La Boheme, you know it?"  
  
He laughed inside. How perfect for her? "Okay... Uhm... How's sixish? That's when I can fake a stomach ache and get out of dinner." Sherry laughed.  
  
"Sure, sounds great. I'll meet you there at sixish. Don't you dare be late!" He could hear her wink over the phone. He laughed. "Alright, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then..."   
  
"Okay, see you tomorrow. G'night, John Allerdyce."  
  
He laughed. "G'night."  
  
AUGH! Kewl! This is like my first X-men Movie fic ever! Plz don't be too harsh. Ooooh, what will happen between our Pyro and the elusive Miss Sherry Dannuk??? OOooooOOOOooooOOooooOOOOOOooooo..... lol, kk please R&R! No flamers, please--and, the irony again... Grr... lol thanks for reading my fic! Chapter 2 should come up soon.


	2. Bohemian Rhapsody

**Disclaimer:** Okay, to make up for the fact that I didn't put a disclaimer in my last entry, I have to put it now, only doubly nagging. I don't own X-men, I don't own Pyro(thought I kinda wish I did... ), and I don't own the X school, thought I would be FRIGGIN RICH IF I DID!!! Hahaha...  
  
I repeat: I don't own X-men, I don't own Pyro(thought I kinda wish I did... ), and I don't own the X school, thought I would be FRIGGIN RICH IF I DID!!! Hahaha... KK, on with the story!  
  
**Summary:** LOL Wow, I only got a couple of reviews, but that's ok! It looks like I've got at least a little bit of positive response from it. That's great. Ok, on with the story. Looks like Jonny has a date! Wee, our little Pyro's all grown up! kk, can't wait for it! Yay, alright... Now, let's get on with Pyro and Sherry's date! Whoo-hoo!  
  
** My Scarab Jewel  
Chapter Two: Bohemian Rhapsody**

****

John came out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist. Bobby was across the room, lying on his bed and making tiny ice sculptures for no apparent reason. He made one of Rogue, one of a daisy, one of a stack of comic books, all that could fit in the palm of your hand. He looked up at John.  
  
"So, big date, huh?"  
  
He nodded, "Yeah, guess so..." He grabbed another towel and dried his hair with it. Pyro laughed slightly. "Actually, I'm kinda nervous about it."  
  
"Nervous???" Bobby repeated in confusion. "Big bad Pyro _nervous_? How touching--oof!" He was cut off by a flying pillow to his face. They both laughed. "So, where you goin?"  
  
"It's this artsy cafe on 6th and Park," he said, walking around in his boxers, going through his clothes and picking out random things. "Rogue asked around for me. She said it was a basement coffee shop where there were poetry readings and satar players and stuff... Real east-indies."  
  
"Cool; so you gonna get her anything?"  
  
"What do you mean?" John asked, putting on one of his good pairs of jeans, the pair with the chain dangling from his waist and attatching to his back pocket. He grabbed his Linkin Park wallet and put them in his pocket. "I mean, it's a first date..."  
  
"Yeah, but, you said she was Egyptian, right?"  
  
He shrugged. "Yeah, so?"  
  
"So, I was in History today, and we're on Ancient Egypt. It said that Egyptian hospitality is extremely valued, so guests are always welcome. In return, the guest usually brings a small gift in thanks."  
  
"But I'm not a guest!" said Pyro, searching through his shirts to find something semi-decent. "We're just going out to get some coffee, okay?"  
  
"Dude, seriously--bring something, like a... I dunno, at least some flowers."  
  
"But how do I know she's not allergic?"  
  
Bobby sighed and grabbed one of his nice shirts, a forest-green button down. "Here, you can borrow this. And _don't _be a huge show off, alright?"  
  
John put on a puppy-like pout. "Aww, but I'm so incredible..."  
  
The door burst open, "Guys, Logan's coming!" said Andrew, a mutant who could make copies of himself. Pyro quickly ducked beneath the covers while Bobby threw an ice mist on his face to make him look like he was sweating, Andrew stood by the door. "Pyro's kinda sick, sir, I don' t think you wanna go in."  
  
"I'll take my chances," said Logan, walking in. He saw Iceman standing over a very sick looking Pyro, who had used minimal fire power to give himself a fever. He walked over to the bed. "What happened to you?"  
  
Bobby looked up. "I think he just overworked himself today." He leaned over Pyro, his pillow over his brow. "Dude, you think you wanna eat something?" He shook his head, mumbled something about a stomachache and pulled the covers over his head. Logan slapped his shoulder with the back of his hand. "Don't think this gets you out of tomorrow, alright?" Pyro gave a sweaty thumbs-up before his arm collapsed limply over the bedside.   
  
Wolverine rolled his eyes. "Alright, everyone, down to dinner." He left, Bobby and Andrew following. As they were leaving, Pyro and Bobby gave a thumbs up to each other. Andrew made a few copies of himself and left one inside the room, littering all the others around the hallway so John could have a safe escape. After a few moments, one of Andrew's duplicates came out from under the bed. "Ok, he's downstairs," he said, seeing from his other copies' eyes.  
  
Pyro got out of bed as Andrew took his shirt off, covered himself with water from one of Bobby's ice sculptures; Pyro gave him a slight fever. He wiped himself off and put Bobby's green shirt on. "Don't forget," Andrew said. "Be nice, huh?"  
  
"Tch," he smirked. "Yeah, yeah, yeah..."  
  
"Oh, and don't foget the aftershave--Iceman's got some Oldspice in the bathroom."  
  
"But I didn't shave..."  
  
"So what? You don't wanna go there smelling like a foot, do ya?" Pyro laughed. Was it everyone who knew about his date with Sherry? He jogged to the bathroom and put on some of the aftershave, and put on his socks and beige high-tops. "What?" he asked when he got a funny look from Andrew. "I like these shoes." He looked around, turned the lights off and closed the drapes. "Coast clear?"  
  
"Yeah; go to the east wing, and wait for the other me, there, we're gonna make sure you're safe, alright?"  
  
He nodded. "Okay, wish me luck..." He opened the door stealthily, Kitty--aka Shadowcat--was waiting for him. "Ready?" she asked, a little twinkle in her eye. Pyro nodded; Kitty had always had a crush on him, he knew that. So it was no wonder she was willing to help him. He figured that if she thought she was doing him a favor, he might consider her to be a girlfriend, now that he was looking and all...  
  
Kitty took his hand and led him through the parts of the hallways with Security cameras, meeting the other parts of Multiply along the way, each of them were holding a different kind of flower. A daisy here, a cabbage rose there, a lily, a salvia, and a few hollyhocks, too. Even a strange, lily-like flower in such a vibrant red color it was shocking to see that it existed naturally. "You never know what kind of flower she'll like," said Multiply. He nodded in thanks to both of them as Kitty and he snuck out through the gates of the Institute. He gave Kitty a little peck on the forehead as thanks and rushed off down 5th avenue, which crossed streets with Park, a very full variety of flowers in hand.   
  
Pyro glanced at his watch every block. "Damn, almost six thirty..."  
  
"Hey--watch it!"  
  
"Oof!" Pyro was knocked back against one of the shops as a kamikaze biker sped off, a trail of flower petals behind him. He looked down. "Fuck...!" He cursed as all the flowers he brought were now destroyed, all except for the strange, lily-like flower with bright colors. It stood from it's thick stem, the flower fluting out like a daffodil would, almost smiling at him.  
  
"Hey, there you are!" He spun around at a female voice.  
  
Sherry smiled, her teeth like pearls. "I've been looking for you..." The front half of her hair hung down in a long chocolate sheet decorated with several braids and gold beads, the back half was twisted up into an elegant bun. Her red dress was detailed with a strappy back and shoulder straps, as if they were twisted by a giant spider. She looked at the strange flower in his hand. "Hey... Is that an amarylis?"  
  
He looked down at the flower. "Uh... Okay," he said, a bit nervous.  
  
"Those are my favorite flowers in the world!" she said, taking it from his sweaty palm. "I especially love the red ones... How did you know?" He shrugged.  
  
"A little birdy told me," he said. 'Okay, using old addages, bad move,' he thought. 'Well, may as well be polite tonight...' "Uhm..." He held out his arm. "Shall we?"  
  
Sherry smiled, her lips shiny with a clear gloss. She took his arm. "You know," she commented while they walked across the street to the cafe. "You should wear green more often. It seems it turns you into more of a genlteman."  
  
They both laughed a little as they entered the cafe. It was more of a big stairway, really, the entrance on the surface. It just led downstairs to a big basement. Various tables that were low to the ground littered the floor, pillows scattered all about. A few couches with Turkish designs were scattered about. A rail-thin woman with a shaven head sat on the stage in some yoga position playing a satar.  
  
Okay, this is definately not my forte, thought John. He looked around, a bit nervous and hesitant about what to say. "Oh, look," he said as he pointed to the menu board over the counter. "They have capp-noo-see-no..."  
  
Sherry laughed. She put her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels, her ankles tinkling with tiny silver bells. "I'd love a double decaf latte with skim milk..."  
  
He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Clearly, you have knowledge of other worlds..."  
  
"Okay, how bout you go get us a few pillows and I get the drinks? You seem like you'd be a Chai-tea latte kinda guy..." Pyro shrugged and looked around. There was a little round cherry wood table for two, with soft, squishy pillows next to each other. He looked around, not seeing many actual chairs and decided--hey, why not? He went over to the table and sat down on the pillow, squirming abit, trying to get comfortable, as he'd never really sat on the floor much before. The air was perfumed with incense and boiling water, the walls weren't really painted, rather than just covered with layers and layers of thick and beautiful silky fabrics, purples decorated with gold and silver thread. Sherry soon returned with two steaming cups and knelt down with ease on her own Turkish pillow.  
  
Pyro pulled out his wallet. "How much did these cost?"  
  
She shook her hand. "No, please, don't worry about it."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, don't worry. I get 'em for dirt cheap, anyway." She sipped her latte, licking the foamy creaminess off her lips. "See all the drapes and stuff around here?" He nodded. "Well, I did them."  
  
"... You...did them? As in you made all of these?" Sherry laughed.  
  
"Yeah, I did. I also painted the walls underneath that nice terracotta color. I love painting, but you kinda knew that. I also love to sew, and I can make my own clothes, too."  
  
He blinked. He had never heard of someone who could do so much at once. Granted, he did live in a school where there was no time to learn how to paint or how to sew--fine arts were replaced with training, enhancement of their powers. He pointed to her red dress. "Did you make that?" She nodded, licking more latte foam from her lips. "That's incredible... How long did it take you?"  
  
Sherry shrugged. "Two, maybe three weeks, I think."  
  
"Two weeks to make a dress???" That seemed a little long to make a dress...  
  
"Hey, gimme a break--I made the fabric, too."  
  
He shook his head. "You made the fabric?" Okay, this was just far too impressive for one person alone.  
  
"Yeah, I did. Uhm, since I'm the oldest, I get all the good stuff. I get first picks for my dowry." She laughed at the word. "My family is very old fashioned. For every rug that I weave, or all the clay and ceramic pots I make go to my dowry. I also get money and stuff. When I get married, it's kind of a package that comes with the marriage, y'know? So, when I was about four, my grandmother pulled me aside and said 'Don't rush outside, you can go anytime. Come, sit with me and I will teach you to weave beautiful cloth.' So, I started weaving. And, before you know it, I can sew, cook, weave, paint, throw pottery--"  
  
"Throw pottery?" he asked, confused. Sherry laughed. "Yeah, that's what it's called when you make pottery. You know, with the spinning wheel and such?"  
  
"Oh... yeah..." He looked away, off towards the stage. Okay, she's a power-woman. Now what? he thought. He was actually intimidated by someone, a human no less. "I also dance and play drums," she mentioned, sipping her latte. "You haven't touched your drink."  
  
Pyro looked down, the cup still warm and steaming. "Well, I'm not sure quite...what it is, so..."  
  
"Oh, come now, where's your sense of adventure? C'mon, Chai-tea lattes are really good. I think you'll like it." He shrugged and picked up the cup. "Okay, if you say so..." He took a sip of the steaming drink. It was a little strange, at first, but it had a strange kind of kick to it, a good one, of course. He looked at the cup. "Hmm, not bad, not bad at all..." She smiled.  
  
"I told you so, didn't I?" He nodded and took another sip of the latte, the satar player stepping down from the stage and taking a bow. A young man with beatnick glasses and a pale face stepped up and began reading off a slip of paper.  
  
"This poem is called The Produce Section," he said.  
  
Sherry smiled. "I like this guy. He makes food into such a sensual art form..."  
  
_"Peaches, ripened in the sun,  
  
Soft, juicy flesh tinted with a dull sheen  
  
The scent, so sweet, so soft.  
  
And you, nibbling at the skin  
  
Juice on your lips, dripping onto the sunny grass  
  
Grapes, plums red like gardenias  
  
Breath, teeth and tongue fondling the tastes  
  
Tastes of sweet and tart juices, dripping...  
  
Drip, drip, drip..."_  
  
His words echoed around the shop, all ears around. He could see couples starting to kiss, as if aroused by the thought of thick juices from the fruits. John looked over to Sherry, her elbows on the table and her chin leaning on the back of her hand; her lips seemed to pucker, as if she were tasting the nectar of the peaches and plums mentioned in the man's words. His mouth began to water as she licked her lips, the long fingers of her free hand fondling the gold bangles around her wrist. He found himself unconciously leaning closer to her, he could smell that patchouli oil coming from her wrists and neck. His breath became shorter as he came closer, but he was soon inturrupted by a round of snaps in applause. He quickly leaned back to his original position.   
  
What the fuck was that, he wondered.   
  
"Hey," Sherry said. "You okay?"  
  
He nodded. "Yeah, sure... Just the incense...kinda light-headed, huh?" She laughed. "So... Sherry..."  
  
She laughed. "I know, I know, it's not Egyptian at all, is it?" Pyro shrugged. "Well, if you must know, my real name is Shaharazhad."  
  
He blinked. "Shaharazhad?" he repeated. "That's really cool--I like that..." He shook his head, suddenly becoming lost in his thoughts. C'mon, Pyro, focus--you can't let her see you sweat... "So, what's your favorite book, movie, and song?" he asked, not quite knowing what else to say.  
  
She thought for a moment. "Fried Green Tomatoes, "Fried Green Tomatoes," and--"  
  
"Wait, "Fried Green Tomatoes?"" he asked. They both laughed.  
  
"No, actually, it's "Hey Ya" by Outkast." This caused a total outburst of laughter on both parts. What a combination, John thought. Fried Green Tomatoes, a literary monument topped off by Outkast? I love it...  
  
"So, Fried Green Tomatoes, huh? I guess you like to read, right?"  
  
She nodded. "Yeah, well, I really try to read as much as I can. Reading is very intriguing. Intriguing, that's one of my words. Every day, I look up a new word in the dictionary and try to use it in every day life." She smiled at the look she was getting from John. "I'm trying to improve myself..."  
  
"Wow..." Okay, this was just incredibly impressive. "That's really great... It's very...noble," he said, trying to compliment her as best as he could.  
  
"Noble?" she asked in disbelief. "I can't believe you _said_ that--noble is one of my words! It means, illustrious, famous, notable, of high birth, benevolent, or possessing outstanding qualities... Gosh, noble..." She laughed slightly.  
  
John smiled. "Well, it really seems to fit you. Did you always like to read?"  
  
Sherry shook her head, becoming suddenly quiet. "Um, no, actually... When I was a little kid, I hated reading."  
  
"Not the bookish type?"  
  
She looked up, smiling a little at his comment. "Well, you _could _say that. I'm dyslexic."  
  
He suddenly stared at her, very surprised. A mental disease? Sherry? This doesn't seem to quite work... "So... Dyslexic, as in...the reading thing, or..."  
  
"Yeah, I can't naturally read. See, Dyslexia is a very common mental condition which inhibits the clear distinction of graphic symbols--or letters. Sometimes, I can't tell the difference between a lower-case 'b,' and a lower-case 'd.' And sometimes, a word like 'now,' will look like the word 'won.' That's why I read, really. I kinda force myself to do it--it proves that a person with Dyslexia can read just like any other person. Don't you think so?" This was finished with a smile, and another sip of her latte.  
  
Pyro sipped his chai-tea latte, processing all that she'd just said. A girl with Dyslexia who reads to improve herself. Not to mention that she forced herself every day with extra reading in the dictionary--with such tiny print, too.  
  
"Wow, uh..." He trailed off. How do you respond to that? "I have to say, Sherry, I'm... I'm really impressed." They both laughed, John a little nervous about it. "I mean...just the whole Dyslexia thing and...with the dictionary, and the literature and...just--wow." They both smiled.  
  
"Well, I'm certainly glad you think so, John. I really am flattered."

Sherry smiled. "Thanks for paying my cab fare..."  
  
"It's alright..." He looked down at her hands, they seemed to shimmer with bronze. Her skin smelled so good, he could just very well become drunk with the scent. Her hands were warm and soft, yet were callused from weaving fabric and gripping her paintbrushes; he could still hear the music coming from inside the cafe as they stood together on the corner, the streetlights like spotlights. The crickets and homeless were their audience.  
  
Her fringled bangs wafted in the wind. "Tonight was great, I had a _really _fun time with you."  
  
John smiled back--not that sarcastic smirk that his alter ego Pyro would use, but a true smile; something that hadn't happened in quite some time. "I had a really fun time with you..." He trailed off, a yellow taxicab pulling up beside the corner. John opened the door and held Sherry's hand as she stepped off the curb; he reached over and handed a twenty dollar bill to the driver. She looked back and smiled at him.  
  
"Thanks for the great time; I'd like to do it again some time."  
  
"Yeah, me too..." He leaned in close to kiss her, Sherry moved away slightly. He tried once more, a litte more desperate to kiss her, but she put her fingers on his lips to stop him. She smirked. "John, never on a first date. But, I am flattered." She leaned close and gave him a hug and a tiny peck on the nose. She giggled and stepped into the cab with his help. "G'night, John."  
  
He smiled again. "G'night, Sherry." He shut the door, and the cab sped off. She stuck her head out the window and waved goodbye; the cab swerved around the corner. A strangely large crow circled over head and landed on the streetlamp. Pyro looked up. "Hey, Cuervo..." The crow cawed and flew off back to the institute, Pyro following with the biggest smile he had had in years. That night, he had a dream that he was an Arabic theif who snuck into the palace of the Pharoh to whisk away the beautiful Princess Shaharazhad to live forever in the cave of the 40 thieves. And then he woke up. "... ... ... Aw, fuck..."

**A/N:** WOW!!! lol I must say I am very impressed with myself! So, our beautiful desert flower is dyslexic? What a twist... Pyro seems to be falling in love, don't you think? But what will his friends think? Will he get caught? Will he be forbidden to see her because she is a threat to the Xavier Institute's secrets? Ugh, the pressure is killing me. Thanks so much for the great responses! R&R plz!


	3. An Emotional Cornucopia

**Disclaimer:** Wow! I can't believe the positive response I've gotten from this fic... lol, I would've expected flamers--lol, I know, bad joke! Well, I just wanna say that I don't own X-men, the Marvel company, nor am I one of those rich-ass white people who own part of the movie... sigh Well, now that that's out of the way, it's time to kill myself! x.x  
  
**Summary:** Okay, here's the story so far: Pyro blew up the training grounds with his bad temper. He ran out of the institute and nearly ran over a beautiful Egyptian girl named Shaharazhad with long brown hair. He likes her freckles and the shrunken Jamaican head on her leather bag. She writes her phone number and address on his hand after complimenting his head, and they decide to go out on a date. Pyro gets drunk off the fumes of incense in the cafe they go to and wants to kiss Sherry, but he snaps out of it and pays for her cab fare home, and has a fantasy dream about her. O.O phew! Okay, now that that's taken care of...  
  
What's happened after Pyro woke up and remembered he not only had school but detention as being the Xavier Institute's new groundskeeper--serving it under Professor Bloom, a 40-year-old woman with the ability to make plants sprout out of nowhere? lol, I know, long question... Well, it's time for the day/week/month(or however long I plan to make this...) after John and Shaharazhad's date; let's make it about a week...

**My Scarab Jewel  
Chapter Three: An Emotional Cornucopia**

****

****

  
  
Proffessor Bloom laughed. "I must say, Mr. Allerdyce, you are most certainly blossoming in the plant business--if you'll pardon the pun..."   
  
John smiled, wiping the sweat from his brow, his shirt tucked into the back of his pants. There he was, sweaty, dirty and stinking to high-heaven, but he couldn't care less. He smirked at Proffessor Bloom. "Well, I figure the harder I work, the sooner I can get this done." That wasn't a complete lie, he thought. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could eat, and the sooner he could eat, the sooner he could finish eating and run upstairs to talk to Sherry.  
  
Shaharazhad, he would think. That's such an awesome name... While he worked, he liked to daydream about what kind of powers Sherry would have if she were a mutant. He would laugh to himself as he'd think this--if Sherry were a mutant, she'd have to live there, and he'd be just like Bobby. Not that he wasn't already acting like Bobby, mind you, just being a little more discreet about it.   
  
He wouldn't be discreet if Sherry lived there--this was a fact he knew well. Actually, he'd say to himself, he probably wouldn't be that interested in her if Sherry did live in the Xavier Institute, let alone know she was alive. When he would wonder this, however, he would often find himself wondering exactly how many girls like Sherry lived in the institute without his knowledge? He never dwelled on these thoughts too long, however, because he would soon realize that he didn't want any other girls in the institute that were like Sherry--he wanted the real Sherry. Besides, he would tell himself, there's no possible way that you couldn't notice Sherry. With her bright eyes and perfect personality--she could walk into a noisy room and everyone would be dumb within seconds. Yes, he thought, now I am really sounding like a poet...  
  
He finished spreading the manuer around the places where he burnt off the grass. Proffessor Bloom made the grass grow again as he sprinkled the seeds on the soil. "Good, good job..." she said with that very cool Australian accent she had. "Let's take a breather, eh? Here, have some water." John brushed off his hands and took off his gloves. "Thanks." He took a grateful swig of water and sat down on the grass.  
  
Proffessor Bloom sat down beneath an adjacent tree. "So, I hear that you've got a little girlfriend that you talk to every night." This statement made him spray out his water immediately. He coughed and sputtered before asking "Who told you that???"  
  
Bloom laughed. "Come on, don't be duft! You really think you're that discreet? You've been prancing around the school and smiling so much--Gene _had_ to read your mind to make sure you weren't on drugs!"  
  
This made him laugh. Sherry _was_ very much like a drug, if one thought about it--which he did. One whif of her scent, he became very curious. As soon as he had a taste of what a moment with her close was like, he couldn't think of having anything else. Once he will have a kiss--oh, to just _think_ about a kiss from her ran shivers up and down his spine. Her whole presence, just being around her made him drunk with a certain kind of euphoria. He had the most amusing vision in his head of standing up in front of an audience and saying "Hello, my name is John, and I'm a Sherry-holic." Just the tiniest whisp of this thought made him laugh out loud.  
  
"I don't think I've ever seen you so happy... She's someone to hold onto, right?" Professor Bloom took a drink of her water.  
  
John nodded. Having this kind of talk with a professor was very awkward. What should he say? What _could_ he say without making a total fool of himself; first, he's a lovesick doofus, and now he's a teacher's pet? No, sir-ee, thought John--I'm not that pathetic yet... Professor Bloom looked at his eyes. "Not one to talk about this to a teacher, eh?"  
  
He shrugged in frustration. "You're my teacher--I'm serving under you for detention. It's kind of awkward with this kind of topic, Professor Bloom..."  
  
She smirked. "You might like to call me Daisy..." With these words she shook her salt-and-pepper hair and smiled. "Well, not that I don't blame you; after all, I was young once, too, right?" She laughed through her words.   
  
"Okay, well, I just want you to know that whoever this girl is, you don't hurt her, 'kay? Seems like this is the best thing that's happened to you since you came here. Now, we've even brought this up in our faculty meetings--" At this remark he looked up. "--and I've gotta say, you've got a lot of people rootin' for ya. Logan's a little suspicious, of course, but that's just because he ain't quite willing to admit that he's got any kind of heart rather than one of adamantium. Now, I want you to look me in the eye and tell me truthfully that this girl has been nothing but a positive influence on your life."  
  
Pyro stood up and walked around, suddenly a bit nervous and frustrated. He then looked back, his breathing a little uneasy, as if he were genuinely struggling to speak properly. "W-well, y'know, I just--I mean, it's--ugh, I--" He stopped and dropped his head, running a hand through his hair. He flipped out his lighter and flipped it on and off, on and off again like a metronome. "She's just... I can't--like--get her out of my head, y'know? I mean... I've only seen her a couple of times, but... She's so...fascinating, like watching a candle burn. You watch and stare at it, the light kinda...dances, y'know? The flame moves around like it's dancing, yeah...and the longer you stare, your vision kinda blurs... And then you start seeing pictures in the fire, pictures of the beginning of time, the secrets of the Universe--and you want to reach out and touch it so bad, but...you know you shouldn't, because that just might put the fire out."  
  
He trailed off, looking around the grounds of the institute, not quite clear of what was going on inside his head. He was thinking about so many things--mostly about how Sherry affected his mind. The feeling that he felt inside of his chest when curling and manipulating flames--that feeling of control, the feeling of being like a god who controled everything that man has ever made through his element of fire...   
  
That feeling in his heart, the fury, the confidence, the strength was completely taken, twisted and churled until he couldn't recognize it anymore was taken from his heart to his stomach. A feeling of wanting to reach out and bend it to his will, a feeling of fear and rejection, a feeling of totally unknowing everything around him--and yet he wanted more, so much more of it all. He couldn't get enough of being around her, he couldn't stop thinking about her--when he closed his eyes, all he could see was her face, her smiling face. When he flicked his lighter on and off, he would more and more see Sherry rather than his father, or more he would see himself and Sherry together in the flames; he couldn't tell much anymore--more and more he would wake up and forget what he looked like. Because he would forget, he put an old picture of him in his wallet to remind him that he still had a father in his heart.  
  
"Well," said Daisy Bloom. "It's a good thing that you have the gift that you have."  
  
Pyro smirked and scoffed slightly(phew! That's a lot of 's''s! ;;;). "Yeah, I guess..." He couldn't control Sherry with his power. Even if he could, however, he knew that he wouldn't enjoy it as much. One of the things so attractive about Sherry was that you couldn't control her, like wildfire. He laughed inside; I've found a fire I can't bend to my will...   
  
Professor Bloom wanted to help, he knew that. Hell, who could blame her? He laughed at the thoughts of actually asking for a teacher's help on wooing a girl; then again, what resource was Rogue? I'll tell you what resource--none. Rogue had never really been with anyone before Bobby, and how was Bobby to know what Sherry would be thinking? He seemed to be far too wrapped up in his own thoughts to care about what Rogue was thinking. Why on earth would he ask for his help? So many thoughts, he said to himself. Usually, my thoughts are a bit darker than this.  
  
"So," said Professor Bloom. "What do you know about this girl? What's she like?" Pyro gave her a skeptical look beneath his brows. "Well, at least one of the faculty has to know--just to make sure that she's not some psycho-girl. Gene can't keep track of what's in your head forever, you know." He laughed slightly. "Come on, then, give it up!"  
  
John smiled and sat down beneath the tree next to Professor Bloom. "Okay, okay..." He trailed off, thinking slightly of what she was like. "Sherry's...kinda hard to describe, actually... She's really smart--funny, too. Uhm... She's the oldest girl in her family, and she has two brothers, one older and one younger, and a little sister named Nefertiti."   
  
"Like the ancient and beautiful queen, hmm?" They both smiled. "With her sister's name being like that, I'd expect her to have more of an exotic name..."  
  
"She does, though. Her name's Shaharazhad--_great_ name; and her two brothers are Yasin and Ihmotehp. _Very _Egyptian--but it's really cool. Oh--and I have never met _anyone_ who can do so many things... She paints, she sews, she _weaves_ fabric by herself, she cooks and she knows how to make pottery... Oh, and she likes dancing and playing drums, too."  
  
She blinked. "Well... That's quite a repitiore, if I don't say so m'self... You sound quite impressed."  
  
"Are you kidding? I'm _totally_ impressed! I mean... She's so great; I seriously go to sleep thinking about her."  
  
Daisy Bloom smiled. "Well, this _is_ kind of your first love, Pyro. Don't get too attatched to her, y'know? There'll probably be many more where that came from. I know, I know," she said once she was shot a slight glare from Pyro. "You're not thinking much about this, but I know that this is a definate positive influence in your life. Maybe it's this girl, maybe it's just the whole dating thing, but I really do think that this could be just a severe case of puppy love. Just you're first, eh, love?" She took a swig of water.  
  
Pyro hung his head, clenching his water bottle slightly. He shook his head, his eyes not coming up. "No..." he whispered. "I don't want this to be 'puppy love...' So what if she's my first? I don't want there to be a second, or third... I want..." He sighed and stood up, "Forget it." He put his shirt back on and took off the gardening gloves. "I'm done for the day, right?" Daisy sighed and nodded. "Good." He took out his lighter and flipped it on and off as he walked inside. 

****

****

** Ring. Ring. Ring.** "...Hello."  
  
"Hi, Sherry."  
  
He could hear her smiling. "Hey, John." Sounds of rustling fabrics were heard in the background. "How's detention treating you?"  
  
"Eh, okay I guess. Today was my last day."  
  
"Good, good. I'll bet your back hurts, hmm?"  
  
"Yeah, a little bit."  
  
"Mmm, well, tell ya what--soon as your can, you come over to my house and I'll walk on your back."  
  
Little scoffs were heard. "Like a little Japanese girl?"  
  
He smiled at her giggles. "Why not? I've got little feet. Size seven and proud of it! Hahaha... It runs in the family, you know. My mother has _tiny_ feet, about size 5 and a half... Then again, she's shorter than me. My two brothers, though, _sheesh_... Imhotehp's feet are size 12! Can you believe that? It's because of my father, I guess... Then again, I don't think it would really be natural if men had little feet. Hahaha--hey, quit laughing!"  
  
"Hehehe, sorry... So, how was your day? Good?"  
  
"Yup, it was pretty good. Nice way to kick off the weekend, dontcha think? God, it was just a _gorgeous _day today! The clouds were so pretty--they looked like a bunch of big, fluffy mashed potatoes." She sighed. "I got a new book, today."  
  
"Oh, really? That's cool--what book?"  
  
"A classic--Firestarter."  
  
John laughed hysterically.  
  
"Hey--what's so funny!"  
  
"Hahaha... No, no--nothing, really... Haha--I'm sorry, I'm fine..." Too many coincidences...  
  
"Hmm... You know, you are really quite an intriguing person, John Allerdyce. You're different... I'm not quite sure how, but you just are... You stand out in the crowd, y'know?"  
  
He shrugged. "Eh, I guess..."  
  
"...You okay?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"... I'm really enjoying this conversation we're having..."  
  
"Hehe, okay, okay--I'm sorry. Just a lot on my mind, that's all..."  
  
"Yeah? Like what?"  
  
"Sherry, don't worry about it, okay? _Really_--it's just guy stuff."  
  
"Hmm, guy stuff, eh?" Silence. "Okay, I trust you... Hey, I started weaving a new rug for my dowry today. I got pretty far on it, too. It's really starting to take shape. Last friday, my mother and I went into town and bought all sorts of threads and things for my loom. I really liked all of the threads. Those bright reds and the deep purples; the golds and blues and the bright greens like emeralds... I love colors, they really make me feel alive, y'know? I mean, look at the beautiful colors in our world tomorrow, just look! I mean, life is just exploding all around us--especially in the flowers, now that spring is really on its way. And I'm so happy because my birthday's coming up!"  
  
"Really??? When is it?"  
  
"Two weeks from now, April 14th. I'll be seventeen--aren't you happy for me?"  
  
He nodded and smiled. "Yeah--seventeen, wow..." He trailed off. "You have a really beautiful face."  
  
"...?"  
  
"..."  
  
"... Where did that come from...?" He could hear her smirking.  
  
He shrugged. "I-I dunno..." There was a long silence. He sighed. "Listen, Sherry, I--uhm... I-I... I... God, I really like you..."  
  
She smiled. "I really like you, too. Know why? Because you make me feel very special. And that means a lot to me, y'know?"  
  
He nodded. "Yeah, I know..." He looked around to make sure no one was around and whispered "You make me feel very special, too." He could hear her smiling.  
  
"Good, I'm glad..."  
  
He sighed. "Listen, I--ugh, geez... Uhm--I know this may sound weird over the phone but... I really want--no, need to ask you-- Augh, man, why is this so hard...?! ... Uh, sorry--I'm not... I mean, I just... Oh, man..."  
  
"John, if you wanna say something to me, then just--"  
  
"Sherry, I want you to be my girlfriend."  
  
"..."  
  
"...?"  
  
"..."  
  
"...?!"  
  
"..."  
  
"...?!!!"  
  
"... Wow..."  
  
"... 'Wow...'??? A-As in, a _good_ wow, or...?" He sighed. "Sherry, I'm sorry--I just... I know I'm not real smooth sometimes, but..." He trailed off, remembering what Daisy Bloom had said. "You've made an impression on me... And--and it's not just your looks. I'm--I mean, not that you don't look good though, y'know. I mean, your looks are to--top shelf, but... I dunno, it's just that..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"... I-I dunno, it's just that... You're graceful... You know, the way you move, the way you speak... Bottom line is, I like you; I like you a lot. And... I would like you to at least _consider_...being my girlfriend. And you don't have to answer me now, just--y'know--give it some time, right? B-Because, y'know, these kinds of descisions require--uhm, y'know--thought, and stuff, and--"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"!"  
  
"... John?"  
  
"..."  
  
"... John, did you hear me?"  
  
"... I'm--uhm... I-I'm s-s-sorr--uh--g-g-g--uhm... I-I-I-I'm... Uhm... C-could y-y-you just...s-say that--I mean, d-did you, uhm--I j--oh, I--"  
  
"Okay, John. ...I said okay. As in, "Okay, I would absolutely love to be your girlfriend."  
  
"O-o-oh... O-ok-k-kay... U-uhm... C-c-co-c-couldy-y-y-you just g-gimme a se--uh, a second, here? P-please?"  
  
She smiled. "Okay... Sure, go ahead."  
  
"Th-thanks..." He set the phone down on the bed and walked over to the middle of the room. He took in a deep breath. "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"Ahahaahahahahahahahahahahaha!"  
  
"WHOOO!!!"  
  
"Hahahaha..."  
  
He beamed and picked up the phone again. "Okay, I'm back."  
  
"Heeheehee.. Feel better?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
Titan, the mutant who could coat his body with titanium at will, popped his head through the door. "Hey--keep it down in here!"  
  
"Hehe, I'm sorry, man. Couldn't help it. I'll be quiet next time."  
  
He blinked. Pyro being agreeable??? "Uh... Okaaaay--the others are coming up soon..."  
  
"Okay, thanks, man." He turned back to the phone. "Sorry about that."  
  
"Haha, that's okay... Actually, it's starting to get a little late, isn't it?"  
  
He looked at the clock. "Yeah, it's about 9 almost. It's dorm-time by 9:15 on weekends, so..."  
  
He heard her smile. "Okay, well, let's get some sleep then, okay?"  
  
"Okay... I'm really happy we talked tonight, Sherry... I'm gonna try my best to make you as happy as I can." The others walked in, the others who shared the dorm. Titan, Multiply, Cuervo, Spyke and Iceman.  
  
"Hey--is that your _girlfriend_ on the phone???" asked Spyke, Storm's nephew.  
  
Pyro rolled his eyes and smiled. "Yeah, and don't worry--we're just saying g'night..."  
  
He laughed. "Okay, okay. HEY!!! PYRO LOVES YOU--OOF!!!" A kamikaze pillow came flying in his face.  
  
"Hey--g'night, Sherry."  
  
"Haha, okay. G'night, John. Sleep sweet, huh?"  
  
He smiled. "Yeah, sweet sleep. Uh-huh. Okay, bye." Click.   
  
The boys were laughing. Pyro turned and pointed a finger at Spyke. "You, my friend, are in _so_ much trouble!"  
  
"Hey!" said Titan. "Let's keep it clean, alright kids?" Iceman laughed, Cuervo took off his goth-makeup and tossed a few tissues into the wastebasket next to his bed. He tousled his raven-black hair. "I think our little Pyro's growing up..."  
  
"Shut up, Jacob." John sighed and flopped back on his bed. "Ugh, my back fuckin' hurts..."  
  
"Hey, at least you have the weekend, now," said Andy(aka Multiply). "Maybe you and Iceman could double with Sherry and Rogue?"  
  
Bobby looked up from his bed across from Pyro's. "Yeah, that'd be cool. I'm sure she's dying to meet her."  
  
"O-oh... Yeah, uhm..." John sighed. "I dunno, maybe... Yeah, why not?" He looked to Titan. "Think maybe it's a possibility?"  
  
Titan shrugged. "It's up to Professor X, really, but I'll put in a good word for you, if you want."  
  
"Thanks, man, that'd be great."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Cuervo lied down, taking off his ICP shirt and clunky boots. "You think you like this one?"  
  
Pyro smirked. "Dude, I_ know_ I like her..." He flipped his lighter on and off, on and off like a metronome. "She's just... I dunno, different from other humans, y'know?  
  
"But she's still a human. You know you should really be careful with them. Especially with you being such a show-off..."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Seriously--you can't trust people if you're looking for a fair deal."  
  
"But I'm not looking for a fair deal, Jake--I'm looking for a girlfriend." He sighed in frustration and flicked his lighter more quickly, taking the flame from it and making it into several rings above his head.  
  
Cuervo sighed. "Dude, all I'm saying is "be careful," alright?"  
  
Pyro sighed. He traced the fire with his finger and made it into a picture, a portrait of his beautiful Shaharazhad surrounded by a ring of fire. His eyes became lost in the flames, lost in Sherry's image. _God, she was beautiful,_ he thought. _So beautiful... Like fire.  
  
_ "Hey!" Titan's voice snapped him out of his daze, his fire portrait extinguishing. "Fire out and bedtime, Romeo."

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!!! lol, I really like this chapter--though I can't quite decide what to call it.... Hmm... let's workshop this a bit... It's thoughts and conversation moslty about Sherry, and Pyro asks her to be his girlfriend and she says YES! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pops champagne and breaks the tv with the cork O-O Uh... runs comes back two hours later with a stolen tv sets it up and dashes back to the computer Phew! Hopefully, dad won't notice the distinct Hobo smell of the tv...  
  
Anyways, I'm _really_ happy with this chapter. SOOOO happy! It's a cornucopia of love! lol HEY! GREAT TITLE!!!!!!!!!!! scrolls up and types title chapter LOL Wow... Uhm, well, than's SOOO much for your positive response everyone! Makes me so happy... tear :-D lol, okay, well, thanks again so much! lol I LOVE YOU ALL!!! R&R PLZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Auvoir!


	4. A Day at the Pier

**Disclaimer**: I don't own XMen, blahblahblah...

**Summary:** Yay! I'm writing again! After a horrid thing of writer's block... Ok, so well... Here's some more Pyro for all of you! Horahh! If you don't remember where we left off, John just asked Sherry to be his girlfriend and she said yes. Horahh! lol ok then--on we go!

**Chapter 4**

**A Day at the Pier**

"John--John! Wake up!"

John opened his eyes at the sound of Bobby's voice. He was shaking him out of the bed. "What? For the love of God, what?"

"Did you forget? Today we're all going to the Pier and meeting Sherry there for a double-thing."

"What! What time is it? Oh, God--I gotta get dressed-- Where the hell are my pants!"

Bobby laughed as John fumbled for his clothes and such, hurrying to slick back his hair and spray on some Axe. Grabbing his SHARK_(for all the people who reviewed and corrected me)_ lighter and heading down the stairs in a stampede of his own to join several other students with Logan and Storm. Rogue was already waiting for them.

"Where have you been?" she asked in her natural Southern drawl. "I can't wait forever."

Bobby laughed and apologized. "Hadta wake up Pyro here."

She shook her head. "Okay, okay... But I can't recognize this girl till you show her to me!" she whispered. "I can't wait to meet her."

"Yea..." Surprisingly, John wasn't as excited as one would assume. Sure, he wanted to see Sherry, but what Cuervo had said to him the other night had jogged his nerves. What if she found out that he was a mutant? Oh, God--when was he going to tell her about it? She was his girlfriend now, and he had to be honest with her. Would she understand? Would she be afraid? Would she even look at him again? Or maybe he could just keep it from her...? Would that work? _Shit!_ he thought. _This fucking sucks... Now what?_

"Okay! Everybody listen up please, feel free to wander around, but don't leave the pier or boardwalk at any time. We'll all meet back here at the base of the ferris wheel at 7pm." Storm announced. "Gene, Logan and myself will not tolerate any unacceptable behavior, so please control yourselves. All right, have fun everyone!"

Students scattered and ran off through the various places of the boardwalk, cheering and laughing and such. John, Bobby and Rogue walked off westward down the boardwalk.

"So where are we meeting Sherry?" Bobby asked.

John shrugged. "She said to meet her in front of the Style of Egypt Dance Studio. I guess she's finishing up her dance classes--I think it's like ballet or something. Oh, wait, here it is!"

They came to a small studio with a big red sign. They looked into the window pane to see Sherry at the head of the class; she was teaching a belly-dancing class, coin belt and all. Pyro smiled when he saw her and waved. She glanced up and waved at the three and motioned for them all to come in.

"All right class, that was a great session. Class dismissed!" Everyone applauded and began to clear out their things. Sherry came over to them, her long chestnut hair tied back into a low ponytail, her straight bangs falling just below her brows. _She's so pretty_... "Hey, John! How are you?" She came and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for meeting me here."

"U-Uh..."

"Aww, I think he's actually blushin'!" said Rogue, laughing.

"Shutup." The girls both laughed. "Uh, Sherry, these are Bobby and Rogue, my friends from school."

"Oh, hi!" She shook both their hands. "Cool gloves, where'd ya get them?" she asked.

"Oh...around, y'know..." Rogue said, a little shyly.

She nodded. "Right, cool..." Sherry turned to John. "Well, I gotta change out of my dance clothes. Will you wait a second out here? I'll just be right back."

She walked off into a back room. Rogue, Bobby and Pyro all sat on the floor next to the big mirrors to wait for Sherry. "Well, she seems pretty nice."

John nodded and leaned his head against the mirror. "Yea, she's pretty sweet, huh?"

"Dude," Bobby said with a scoff, "you toally scored--oof!" He was cut off by Rogue elbowing him in the side.

"Okay, I'm ready." Sherry came out of the back room wearing a flowy long white skirt and pretty pink camisole. She hung a long-strapped leather bag over her right shoulder and smiled. "Alright, let's go!" she said. "Aunt Bennu, I'm going now!"

"Ok, Shaharezhad!" called a very ethnic sounding voice from the back. "Wait a second!" An older woman came out, about 40 or so, dark and short. "You come here and give this food to your Uncle Osahar okay? Okay bybye! Nice to meet you all, bybye!" She was gone as soon as she came.

Sherry laughed. "Funny thing is that my Uncle and cousins that 'need the food' run a shiskebob stand." Everyone giggled. "It's not too far down the pier. Let's all go there for lunch, okay?"

"Sounds good to me," said Rogue, encircling her arm around Sherry's. "So, you have to tell me absolutely everything about yourself." Bobby and John tagged behind the girls as they talked.

"So, we doin okay so far?" asked Bobby, half-way down the pier as the girls chatted idly.

"Yea, so far..." John seemed a little tense, but he still enjoyed the company. For a little bit, he felt like a normal teenager, down at the pier with his friends and his _girlfriend_. He sighed. _I can't believe I actually have a girlfriend now... When will I tell her about the whole mutant thing? Or will I...?_

"John, come up here, I want you to meet my family!" called Sherry as the approached the Shishkebob stand.

"Huh? Oh, sure!" He jogged up to her side. His nose was soon filled with delicious smells of spiced meats and vegetables; smoke rose from the little stand as three identical boys--about 24 each--were walking about behind the counter, one serving a few customers, the other two cooking and talking in Egyptian.

Sherry called out in Egyptian. They greeted her with kisses and smiles. She then broke off into English. "Set, Sethos, Shabaka, this is my new boyfriend, John Allerdyce."

"Hallo!" They all called, then going back to their work.

"Shahareshad!" came another voice of a very tall Egyptian man, his head wrapped in a turbin. "How beautiful you look today," he said as he came out with a short, plump woman who looked to be his wife. "Does she not look beautiful today, Sharifa?"

"Oh, yes, like a young flower!" Aunt Sharifa beamed.

"Thanks, Uncle Osahar. Bennu wanted to you have this food."

"Oh, the wonderful food. You know, your Aunt Bennu is only the _second_ best cook in the family. Your mother is the first, as I'm sure you know! Speaking of which," he said, looking off to the other three. "I see you have a _boy-friend_ in the house now?" 'Boyfriend' was said in a heavy Egyptian accent.

Sherry laughed. "Not in the house, but yes, Uncle. This is John Allerdyce--"

"But he is so thin!" cried Aunt Sharifa. "Come come, I give you good shishkebob for free--all of you, come!"

The four were dragged over to the stand in a hurricane of wonderful smells and colors of the spices and veggies. Everything looked so delicious, and smelled so good. Each recieved a piece of pita bread and two full shishkebobs inside them. The meat was so tender, the vegetables crisp and spicy.

"Oh, be careful, John, that sauce on the side is hot!"

"It's okay, I like spicy food." He dipped a bit of the shishkebob into the red sauce on the side. As soon as he tasted it, smoke filled his mouth and nose--his eyes watered and turned red-- _Oh, god!_ "ACHOO!" A burst of red flames came from John's mouth. Bobby quickly covered it and laughed it off, to make it seem like not such a big deal.

"A fire-breather!" cried Set--or perhaps it was Shabaka?--pointing. "Shaharezhad, he performs too?"

_Performs?_ thought John. _Oh, thank God!_

She laughed. "Uh... I guess so..."

"Speaking of which," said Uncle Osahar, "John Allerdyce, did you know that Shaharezhad is a fine belly dancer? Oh, yes, she's a fine performer in our pyrotechnics group! It is called Usi-chen. We will perform tomorrow; you tell friends, yes?"

They all laughed. "Yes, we'll tell their friends tomorrow, Uncle."

Once the shishkebobs were finished, they walked around the pier for the remainder of the day. When the sun set, all four of them bought tickets to the ferris wheel and rode it to the top, where fireworks greeted them at precisely 6:24 pm. John slipped his arm around Sherry's shoulder when they stopped at the top. She smiled and looked to him.

"I guess this means that we're official now?" she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.

He smirked. "Yea... I guess so."

The fireworks lit up the ocean in a million colors. Light dance all across the sky and across Shaharezhad's freckled cheeks. John looked at her and smiled at her eyes.

"Well?" she asked. "Aren't you gonna kiss me?"

HAHAHAHAHA! I'll leave it to your imagination! Woot! lol XD! Oh, dang I'm evil... Okay, well,I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm glad that I finally have it down! LUVYA! MWAH! R&R PLZ! I'll try to have Chapter 5 soon--no, I mean it this time!


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